EGT While Towing

[Peteandsharon]

Hey guys,

Just a general question here. I'm trying to get a sense of what you guys are seeing with your EGTs while towing. For those of you who are towing at least 11000 pounds what are you seeing while towing on relatively flat land with ambient temps at least 70 degrees and the A/C on. Due to various reasons I have not been able to do a lot of towing the last couple of seasons but while bringing it home the other day I was seeing temps over 1000 degrees. My memory is that 900-1000 degrees is fairly typical while towing in the conditions stated above but just wanted to know what you guys are seeing.

Thanks,

Pete

 

[Bob&Patty]

Pete, 1K would not be abnormal. When it gets to 1200* and higher I would get worried. As a normal rule 1300* and higher then you could start melting pistons.

 

[Peteandsharon]

Thanks Bob. Yeah I was aware of the limit and where you should start getting worried. I guess what surprised me is how close you seem to get to that limit while still calling it normal. I towed a 7000 pound TT before getting the fiver. I got used to a lower EGT because of the lighter rig. Now that I tow the BH I am dealing with a new higher normal. There just doesnt seem to be as much room for error any more. Add some hills and long grades and you are right up there in dangerous territory.

 

[Eddhuy]

Diesel Power magazines says: "For towing, we'd say 1,200 degrees is a safe number, with occasional spikes of up to 1,400 degrees when climbing grades being an acceptable risk."

Read more: http://www.dieselpowermag.com/tech/1007dp_the_truth_about_egt/viewall.html#ixzz2VA0pjOaA

 

[Peteandsharon]

Excellent article Jack. Thanks. I guess everything is relative, though. They say 1200 is "safe" but for how long? I get nervous when I start getting around 1200 and I try to keep it there as little as possible if at all possible. I have heard some people say that 1300 is the start of that danger zone and really how different is 1200 vs. 1300. Like I said earlier it's hard to believe how close to the edge we get when towing these big rigs. Thanks again.

 

[Eddhuy]

I agree. On my 04 F350 I put 4" exhaust from the turbo back to get more air moving hoping to keep the temps down. I gained power and mileage with that and hopefully lower EGT.

 

[davebennington]

I think it is important to ask where are you taking your readings, Post or pre turbo?

dave

 

[TandT]

I think it is important to ask where are you taking your readings, Post or pre turbo?

dave

Dave, mine is post turbo and I try to keep mine below 1100 if possible, no higher than 1200 in short bursts when pulling a serious hill.
If it wants to go to 1200, for any length of time, I either back off, or grab another gear. Trace

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[davebennington]

If you are post turbo I believe you are safe at 1100 to 1200 degrees.

dave

 

[Bob&Patty]

Mine was installed in the right manifold about 4" from the head. It would be nice have one on both sides of the turbo. HUMMMM.......have to think about that.

 

[MCTalley]

It depends.

Our EGT probe is mounted post-turbo (on the exhaust downpipe). The top I have seen ever is 1050. Given that you will get approximately a 200 degree drop between the manifolds and the output side of the turbo, that translates roughly to 1250 pre-turbo.

I've always heard that whatever you get in stock form under full load is pretty safe to go with as a maximum within design ratings. I run a 20HP tune when towing and it adds maybe 25 degrees to my EGTs. I've seen it push up to about 1025 in stock tune pulling a long grade.

 

[beasleyrl]

On my Edge Insight CTS, it is not uncommon for us to see 1,300-1,400 on an incline pulling our 18K Cyclone. That is with the factory EGT sensor on an 08 F450. My understanding is that the Ford's factory EGT sensor is placed at an ideal location so it may read higher than a non-factory installed sensor. Normally on a relatively flat highway, we see 1,000-1,200. I generally back off fairly quickly when my alarm goes off at 1,350.

I just upgraded to an Edge Evolution CTS programmer and it seems to run 50-100 degrees hotter on average. The default factory alarm on this was set to 1,400.

 

[Peteandsharon]

I also have the Edge Insight and what I have found is that I have a couple different options for EGT readings. I use the one that gives me the highest reading assuming that the difference is where the particular sensor is that it is reading and that this one is pre turbo. Don't know that for sure though. I guess one other point is that regen will often top 1200 degrees on my EGT so I'm guessing it can't be all that dangerous at that temp or it wouldnt go there. Maybe that's just wishful thinking though.

 

[mattpopp]

Yall should really reconsider moving the EGT probe to the exhaust manifold in the collector. Post turbo is not a very accurate Idea of what is going on in the cylinder. The exhaust cools way to much in my opinion for that location to be at any real use. Even though you my see a steady 1000 degrees post turbo the temps could be fluctuating a fair bit pre turbos. You could easily be in the red.

Safe EGT for a Cummins 6.7 is not safe for a Cummins 5.9 12v or a LML D Max and so on. Post 07 diesels with DPF have been built to handle more cylinder heat due to emissions vs pre 07 engines.

When y'all are comparing safe EGT's consider what you have and the OP has. Understand if they are not the same engine then you will probably find you have two different safe limits

Anyways, I have always mounted my probe Pre Turbo as I wanted an accurate as possible reading for what the exhaust temps are in the cylinder. The piston is the first thing to typically be effected by hot exhaust gases. In my truck I was happy with 1200 to 1350 degrees while towing. Pulling hills or passing I could sustain 1500 but it was for short burst. I had plenty of air going in the engine as I had a set of Compound Twin Turbos in her.




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[Bksvo]

I run a Spartan tuner, which pulls all it's reading from the Ford sensors. I've never worried about the EGT, as it never gets close to redline. I'm usually much more concerned about oil and transmission temps, and appreciate the accurate readouts on those (vs the factory idiot guages). If memory serves me, I think I normally see 8-900 on flat terrain, and upwards of 1200 on a mountain.

 

[Sandpirate69]

I have an Insight CTS. EGT probe at the rear of the right exhaust manifold. 4" MagnaFlo Exhaust w/muffler. DPF deleted and EFI Live for tuning. On a 60 HP Tow Tune my EGT's don't go above 1100 deg. Like some one posted earlier not all trucks have the same limits, even those built in the same year. Example, my father's LMM (2008) DMAX Dually runs at 1200 deg. I set his truck up identical to mine, up to the S&B air intake. Not to mention the exhaust brake programming, thats's a beauty.

 

[MCTalley]

Yall should really reconsider moving the EGT probe to the exhaust manifold in the collector. Post turbo is not a very accurate Idea of what is going on in the cylinder.

That's what I told the "best truck accessory place in town" when I had them put in my pyro gauge. "Oh, yeah, we always put them pre-turbo" I was assured several times. Got home, popped the hood and found the probe inserted into the exhaust down-pipe post-turbo. Haven't had a chance to get another probe inserted in the exhaust manifold, but plan to do so at some point.

 

[wdk450]

While in Elkhart/Goshen I had an EGT gauge installed in my 2004 RAM 6.9 (6 cylinder) Cummins, in the exhaust manifold. Since the analog gauge was mounted on top of the dash, I watched it a lot on the 6 - 400 mile days I pulled the 16K GVW Bighorn back to Sacramento. On flat and level sections of I-80, with the trannie out of "tow mode" (I do this as much as possible for better fuel mileage) the EGT was reading about 600 degrees. My rule of thumb was to downshift to "tow" mode if the EGT reached 1000 degrees, and back off to regular transmission mode when the EGT cooled to 800 degrees or less. On light uphill grades I would take over the throttle from the cruise control set to 55, and slow down enough to keep the EGT at or below 1000 degrees. On serious uphill grades I would push the EGT to 1100 degrees, and downshift further to stay under 1100 degrees which resulted in me going about 45 mph. I saw the EGT cool about 200 degrees immediately when doing the steep grade downshift.

Those are my choices and results in driving 2400 miles of all sorts of terrain. Your results may vary.

BTW - While in Elkhart (and after I had ordered and paid a deposit on the gauge upgrade), I had occasion to talk to one of the dually diesel RV delivery drivers at a reataurant. His truck didn't have an EGT gauge, and he said that her had never seen one in the RV delivery dually diesel fleets they have there.